Awaaz Afghanistan – the nation’s pioneering humanitarian call centre – has achieved a significant new milestone: handling over half a million calls from vulnerable people in need.
 In a landscape marked by conflict, natural disasters and a range of socio-economic challenges, access to timely and accurate information is critical for millions in need. Launched in May 2018 through a collaborative effort by multiple UN agencies and partners, the UNOPS-managed Awaaz Afghanistan serves as a crucial lifeline for Afghans seeking assistance. It provides callers with vital information and serves as a platform for feedback on humanitarian responses as well as the delivery of basic human services.With over 500,000 calls handled, Awaaz has successfully connected more than 3 million individuals across Afghanistan to essential services and humanitarian aid. The centre’s reach is reflected in real-life stories from across the country.Awaaz has become an essential resource for millions of Afghans, ensuring transparency and accountability while connecting those affected by crises with crucial assistance.Jorge Moreira da Silva - United Nations Under-Secretary-General and UNOPS Executive DirectorConnecting communities, changing livesTake, for example, the remote village of Charkudogh, located on the border of Ghor and Faryab Provinces. Approximately 350 families there lacked access to vital healthcare, facing a daunting 12-hour walk to the nearest facility. Earlier this year, a resident reached out to Awaaz for urgent help. The call centre documented the situation and referred the issue to the World Health Organization-led Health Cluster. Within days, a health outreach team was mobilized, delivering essential primary healthcare services directly to the community.In another case, a group of over 130 returnee families from Pakistan was living in makeshift tents with minimal protection from the elements. One individual contacted Awaaz seeking assistance, prompting the centre to refer the case to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). In response, UNHCR provided solar panels and batteries and enrolled the families in a shelter programme, significantly improving their living conditions.More than a call centreAwaaz Afghanistan is a community engagement initiative. The two-way communication channel ensures that ground-level needs are conveyed to partners, enhancing the quality ofhumanitarian programming nationwide. With 168 humanitarian agencies collaborating and sharing data, Awaaz has become a cornerstone of inter-agency collective accountability in Afghanistan."Awaaz Afghanistan is the heart of the UN’s operations in Afghanistan, recognized for its critical role in collecting first-hand insights from communities affected by ongoing challenges, guiding the UN’s tailored assistance in the country," said Roza Otunbayeva, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Afghanistan.Awaaz Afghanistan continues to transform lives, ensuring that critical support reaches those who need it most.Awaaz continues to growAs Awaaz Afghanistan expands its reach, its mission remains clear: to serve as a lifeline for those in need. Every call is answered, every concern addressed and every voice amplified. In a nation facing numerous challenges and limited resources, Awaaz demonstrates the power of collaboration, community engagement and an unwavering commitment to the Afghan people.About the projectAwaaz Afghanistan has received over $11 million in funding from various UN organizations and partners. This includes the Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations, the government of Japan, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs-administered Central Emergency Response Fund, the Afghanistan Humanitarian Fund, UNFPA, the UN Development Programme, UN Women, the International Organization for Migration, the World Food Programme and UNHCR.

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Afghanistan is one of the top 10 countries experiencing extreme weather patterns. This, against a backdrop of decades of war and numerous social and economic shocks, has left over 23 million people in need. Three lives Mumtaz, Kabul“I used to be a teacher, as well as three of my daughters. But because of the restrictions, we cannot do that anymore.”For decades Mumtaz’s income as a math and science teacher fully supported her family of five, following an illness that prevented her husband from working. Mumtaz’s three daughters followed in their mother’s footsteps, supporting the growing household.Recent restrictions on education and employment opportunities for women and girls have rolled back two decades of gender rights advances. Past the sixth grade, girls are banned from accessing an education. For women, employment with non-governmental organizations is denied and they are wholly excluded from public office.
 Overnight, Mumtaz and her daughters lost their source of income, joining 94 per cent of the women in the country outside the workforce.  Ahmad, Baghlan province“The floods destroyed the canal I use to irrigate my lands so I could not cultivate anything and this put my family in a very difficult economic position.”Approximately 85 per cent of Afghans rely on rain-fed agriculture for their livelihoods. Yet across this landlocked country, with temperatures that range between -20°C and +45°C, early frost and unpredictable precipitation patterns can greatly impact production – alter lands that so many depend upon to graze cattle and cultivate crops.
 Before the 2023 floods, Ahmad grew enough to feed his family every day and sell some produce for an additional income.Overnight, Ahmad's family joined the 15 million people across the country who are food insecure.
  Zeyba, Khost province“We are a total of seven members in our family. It has been three months since we have moved from Pakistan to Afghanistan after 40 years. I was even born in Pakistan. We have been working very hard for our family’s survival for the past three months.”October 2023 saw the start of the forced repatriation of Afghans residing in Pakistan. Women and children – extremely vulnerable groups in Afghanistan – make up the majority of returning Afghans. Many of the people returning have never lived in Afghanistan, further complicating their adjustment and ability to integrate into one of the world’s least-developed countries – amid a major humanitarian crisis.Overnight, Zeyba’s family joined over six million already internally displaced people in Afghanistan. One projectAmid intensifying needs, the World Bank and the Afghanistan Resilience Trust Fund initiated the UNOPS-managed Afghanistan Community Resilience and Livelihoods Project (CRLP).Managed by UNOPS, the initiative provides short-term employment, offering a lifeline for vulnerable households, with the benefits of the work activities extending to entire communities. Social grants are also extended to particularly vulnerable households unable to participate in work, prioritizing women-headed households, people with disabilities and those suffering from drug addiction.Community engagement is a cornerstone of the project – and has long been a powerful vehicle for development interventions in Afghanistan. As such, the initiative invites Afghan people – via community representatives – to select work activities, manage labourers and provide channels for grievances.And from a climate perspective, the project assesses any potential activity against key environmental and social considerations before a final selection is made. A shared experienceLiving in three different provinces, Mumtaz, Ahmad and Zeyba all found opportunities with the project. Mumtaz“This was a good chance to find a job in very difficult times for women. At least now we have a bit of time to see what else we can find. This is not a permanent solution and it will not solve all of our problems but we are happy as women that we can put food on the table.”Mumtaz worked as a short-term labourer, helping to construct a green park in Kabul. She worked on-site helping cure cement and clean up after construction – earning approximately $6.30 a day for a month. By early June 2024, sub-projects have included nearly 60,000 women labourers. While this is a high number, it still represents less than 12 per cent of the total urban labourers and close to 7 per cent of rural labourers. Looking ahead, the project is committed to reaching more women.  Ahmad“Now that the canal has been fixed, I will be able to grow on my land again next year. I even helped to repair the canal, which I was happy about doing for my village.”In his village in the Baghlan Province, Ahmad worked on a project that the local community council identified as being important for the lives of the people who lived there.Since the start of the project, over 7,500 activities in urban and rural areas across the country have helped put in place infrastructure that allows local communities to better adapt to a changing climate. Work ranges from the construction of protection walls to the building and rehabilitation of canal networks. Zeyba“One of the CRLP projects was ongoing near my home. I sent my son to speak to the engineers in the project and tell our story. Then they welcomed him and arranged for him to join the work. At least it is a start for settling back in Afghanistan.”With the unexpected return of millions of Afghans from Pakistan – many vulnerable and in need – the resilience of communities and their ability to support those in need was tested. Within the CRL project, they rose to the challenge. Working as intended, the community representatives recognized the vulnerability of this incoming group during their needs mapping. Returning Afghans were able to connect within their new community and register as part of the project.
 
DISCLAIMERAll images featured in this article were generated with the help of artificial intelligence tools. The characters depicted in these images are fictitious in nature, and used for illustrative purposes only. Any resemblance these characters have to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. Names have been changed in the story, to protect the identities of participants. More about the projectThe Afghanistan Community Resilience and Livelihoods Project is a $419 million initiative funded by the World Bank and the Afghanistan Resilience Trust Fund, managed by UNOPS. Working directly with more than 9,000 communities, the project is set to benefit over 14 million Afghans, across 10 cities, 29 provinces and 98 rural districts. It aims to create approximately 42 million labour days and support more than 1.3 million households.

Read more about the project via the World Bank.
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Afghanistan presents one of the most compelling portraits of the complex tapestry of global polycrisis. Amid socio-economic deterioration, exacerbated by natural disasters including droughts, floods, and earthquakes, and massive displacement, Afghanistan’s challenges require not only a coordinated humanitarian response but also long-term durable solutions for development and peace. This is where the UN and partners’ joined-up approach indispensable. The Scale of CrisisSince the Taliban takeover in 2021, a diminishing flow of international aid has made service delivery to the Afghan people more challenging. Afghanistan has one of the highest numbers of internally displaced persons (IDPs) globally including a significant surge of over half a million Afghan returnees Pakistan, further straining the country's limited resources. Having visited IDPs and returnees’ temporary camps, I have witnessed first-hand the precarious conditions that they are living in including lack of access to basic services such as safe drinking water, adequate sanitation, healthcare, and jobs. Afghanistan ranks as the world's seventh most vulnerable country to climate change despite contributing minimally to global greenhouse gas emissions. Natural disasters are becoming a major threat for Afghanistan as floods, earthquakes, and droughts deal major blows for communities with limited capacity to respond to and recover from these shocks. The 2023 earthquakes in Herat, which claimed over 1,500 lives and displaced thousands more, have exposed the country’s vulnerabilities to climate shocks. The Plight of Afghan Women and GirlsPerhaps no group is more vulnerable in Afghanistan today than women and girls. Since August 2021, the De facto authorities have issued and expanded more than 50 edicts targeting women and girls, alongside several inconsistently enforced provincial-level decrees and practices, restricting the basic rights and fundamental freedoms of women. The exclusion of women from education beyond grade 6 as a human rights violation not only diminishes the economic stability of women and their families but also deprives the society of skilled contributors in all sectors. Without access to continued education, an entire generation of girls will be unable to pursue careers in medicine, engineering, or academia, fields that are crucial for Afghanistan’s future development. Why ”Delivering as One” through a joined-up approach?To streamline and synergize the efforts of various United Nations organizations operating in Afghanistan, where humanitarian needs are vast and complex, the Delivering as One (DaO) approach ensures that the collective expertise and resources of the UN are leveraged more effectively. By pooling resources and aligning strategies, we can address the multifaceted challenges of humanitarian aid, development, and peacebuilding (HDP) in a cohesive manner within the HDP nexus. As the world and UN gear toward the “Summit of the Future” this year to strengthen international cooperation and multilateralism, the DaO approach has been a critical example to showcase the effectiveness of coordination and collaboration of multiple donors and UN organizations in addressing complex challenges like those faced in Afghanistan.The benefit of this approach is exemplified by the Special Trust Fund for Afghanistan (STFA), which the UN launched in 2021. The STFA is already showing a positive impact of DaO by delivering a more coherent response to the HDP nexus needs in Afghanistan. Focusing on Basic Human Needs and Durable SolutionsAddressing basic human needs in Afghanistan is not merely about providing temporary relief but about establishing the foundations for long-term resilience and development. By 2024, the STFA has mobilized over US$230 million from 13 contributing donors, providing crucial support to approximately five million Afghans, particularly focusing on women and vulnerable groups. 17 UN organizations have come together to deliver the support through joint programmes.The support for basic human needs must also include durable solutions for the IDPs and returnees. This means not only meeting immediate needs such as food, water, and shelter but also providing access to education, healthcare, and livelihood opportunities. These are essential for their reintegration into society, reducing dependency on aid, and laying the groundwork for long-term development.A Call for Sustained International Attention and SupportAs global attention fluctuates with increasing conflicts and wars around the world, Afghanistan risks becoming a forgotten crisis, yet the needs of its people are more pressing than ever. We call on the international community and donor partners to renew their commitment to the people in Afghanistan, to mitigate the current humanitarian crisis and support a strategy that bridges humanitarian aid with development and peace efforts. “Delivering as One” through a joined-up approach is as necessary as efficient to address the complex challenges: Through our unified efforts, support for basic human needs, and a focus on durable solutions for the displaced, particularly women and girls, we can help build the resilience of people in Afghanistan. , filtered_html

Afghanistan's people have faced extraordinary hardship in recent years. Decades of conflict compounded by natural disasters and the impacts of climate change have brought immense suffering – particularly for women, whose rights have eroded significantly. As UN Resident Coordinator and on behalf of the UN team on the ground, I reiterate our commitment to maintain our focus on strengthening investments for women in Afghanistan – support that is more critical than ever.Delivering as One in Afghanistan: The Special Trust FundIn October 2021, the UN established the Special Trust Fund for Afghanistan (STFA). Under the leadership of the Resident Coordinator, this fund aims to meet urgent human needs across the country while complementing ongoing humanitarian efforts. By pooling resources, it directly supports the most vulnerable Afghans and actively champions women's rights.Since its creation, the Fund has been a powerful tool for joined up, cross-agency action. It brings together the diverse strengths of 17 UN agencies, funds, and programmes, allowing us to work collaboratively. The Fund promotes comprehensive local solutions that span from essential services to livelihoods and risk management. It supports programmes aligned with the United Nations Strategic Framework for Afghanistan 2023-2025, aiming to make a real difference in people's lives.As Resident Coordinator, my office and I play a crucial role in driving this unified effort, drawing on the shared plan outlined in the Strategic Framework. In my role as Humanitarian Coordinator alongside the Afghanistan Humanitarian Fund, we combine our resources to deliver the support Afghans desperately need, avoiding unnecessary duplication and maximizing our impact. Our approach is designed to be flexible and adaptable to the ever-changing situation in Afghanistan.Focus on women and girlsThe UN team in Afghanistan uses the Fund to tackle complex issues with an approach that empowers women as agents of positive change, precisely to tackle the dire constraints for women and girls in the countries. Gender equality is central to our work. With the unprecedented challenges Afghan women and girls face, we follow a “by women, for women” approach – prioritizing women-led initiatives and giving them the tools to succeed. Since 2021, the Fund has supported over 1.67 million women across Afghanistan.For example, the Fund has enabled the creation of more than 90 ‘Family Health Houses’ – community clinics staffed by local midwives who offer essential reproductive, maternal, and child health care. Access to these services gives women greater control over their health, their lives, and their futures. 
Beyond health, the Fund supports education. Afghanistan’s female literacy rate sits at a worrying 23 per cent – even lower in rural areas. To combat this, the Fund enables local programmes that teach literacy, numeracy, and various income-generating skills. These initiatives create opportunities, improve health, and help manage risks in the community.Since economic independence is crucial for women, the Fund targets micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) owned by women. With access to capital, skills, and markets, women entrepreneurs can thrive. Even as employment opportunities are restricted, women-led businesses help meet families’ needs and strengthen the overall economy. Remarkably, over 70 per cent of MSMEs supported by the Fund are women-owned, a testament to the impact of direct investment. This represents over 3,200 enterprises able to sustain or grow operations and employ more people, including women, in their communities.As with the rest of the world, natural disasters weigh heavily on Afghanistan, disproportionately affecting women. The Fund promotes climate-resilient infrastructure, like water systems, clinics, and shelters, with women at the forefront of decision-making to ensure their needs are prioritized.Opening doors, overcoming challengesThe UN’s work in Afghanistan is fraught with challenges, especially restrictions affecting women’s roles in local and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs). But we remain firm in our commitment. While we adapt our methods, we will not compromise our core principles of non-discrimination and women’s meaningful involvement in their country’s progress.Women-led organizations such as NGOs, MSMEs and others are vital for women and girls’ participation, leadership, and essential services, especially in contexts like Afghanistan. Therefore, a core priority for the Fund in 2024-2025 is to further invest in women’s empowerment by supporting these organizations. Our focus includes long-term solutions for internally displaced persons and returnees and aid for post-earthquake recovery in western Afghanistan. Our commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) remains unwavering, especially noting that investing in women and girls plays a catalytic role in boosting gains across all Goals. The Special Trust Fund illustrates how the Resident Coordinator's Office can bridge immediate and long-term needs while supporting peacebuilding efforts. It offers both immediate relief and long-term solutions driven by the communities themselves. Though progress has been made, we must scale up investments in women, as donor support, unfortunately, shows a declining trend.I am inspired daily by the courage of the Afghan people, especially the women who tirelessly fight for a better future.  The UN remains steadfast in its pledge to ensure that Afghan women and girls can fully reclaim their rights. The world must stand with them.This blog was written by the UN Deputy Special Representative, Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator in Afghanistan, Mr. Indrika Ratwatte., filtered_html